'Athlete' successfully passed the condition tests. & nbsp; By decision of the state commission, two versions of the armored car were recommended for adoption for the supply of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The MIC noted that the next step will be the preparation of documents and standard procedures for the official acceptance of “ Athletes ''. to supply the Russian armed forces and start their series production.
How has it been tested?
Preliminary testing of athletes was held at the bases of the Automotive Technology Research Institute (Bronnitsy), the Armored Vehicle Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (Kubinka) and the “ NAMI '' Automotive Technology Test Center (Dmitrovsky district of the Moscow region). First of all, the operating characteristics of the equipment were checked. Experienced Athletes have covered thousands of kilometers on various routes of various natures and with various obstacles. Their behavior over water obstacles has been studied. We also verified the performance of the machines over the full range of specified climatic conditions.
On the training ground of one of the research organizations, an 'Athlete' experienced subject to explosions, bombardments and other influences characteristic of a combat situation. & nbsp; As part of these tests, the car was the target of fire with the use of ammunition corresponding to the level of protection intended, detonations were carried out under the car and beside it. The resistance of the armored vehicle to arson was also tested using a fire mixture. During these checks, it turned out that the ballistic protection is able to withstand the impact of a 7.62mm armor-piercing rifle bullet. Mine protection saves crew from explosion of 2kg TNT under wheel or bottom.
How is it going?
Athlete is a universal platform suitable for the installation of various equipment or weapons. On the roof can be mounted remote control combat modules of different models with one or the other weapon & ndash; at the customer's request. In the future, the appearance of specialized modifications with special equipment is possible. The possible development of a civilian version of the chassis was discussed.
The armored car is seen as a complement or replacement for the 'Tiger' existing, which is characterized by increased characteristics & ndash; first of all, protection. The characteristics obtained during the tests do not yet allow the attribution of an 'Athlete'. to the MRAP class (wheeled armored vehicles with reinforced protection against mines), but it distinguishes it advantageously from its predecessor, the Tiger. Compared to the latter, the level of protection of the Athlete several times higher.
At the moment there are two options for the 'Athlete'. with different armored hull design. Body with bulletproof and shatterproof protection can have a set of three or five doors. A three-door car is considered a special vehicle, a five-door car & ndash; as versatile. In terms of the level of protection, the two modifications are identical.
The cars are fitted as standard with anti-trauma seats for all crew members and an air conditioning system in the cabin, as well as other systems. Depending on the modification, the armored car can carry two to eight fully equipped soldiers. The landing party can use personal weapons by using the doorways in the glazing.
Specifications
& nbsp; & laquo; Athlete & raquo; has a 4×4 wheel arrangement and is equipped with a Yaroslavl YaMZ-5347-24 diesel engine with a capacity of 240 hp. The transmission offers four-wheel drive. A car weighing about 9 tons develops a speed of at least 120 km/h on the highway, cruising range & ndash; 1000 km. It was previously mentioned that from the 'Athlete' perspective can get a new more powerful motor. As a result of this, the main characteristics will increase, in & nbsp; including load capacity. The main differences between the new car and the Tiger & mdash; increased to 1600 kilograms of load capacity, which in the future can be increased to 2500 kilograms.
According to experts, the armored car can be used in the Russian army or in law enforcement. Also & nbsp; the machine may interest foreign customers.
Source: https://ria.ru/